United States Constitution
The United States Constitution. The Constitution's grant of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction to the federal courts is at Article III, Section 2. The Congressional Research Office's annotations to the Constitution's Article III grant of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction are available here.
United States Code (U.S.C.)
The United States Code at the Office of Law Revision Counsel, United States House of Representatives. The following are titles and sections particularly relevant to admiralty and maritime law.
Title 9 U.S.C. - Arbitration
Title 10 U.S.C. - Armed Forces
Chapter 14- Arming of American Vessels
Chapter 22, Subchapter II - Maps, Charts and Geomatics Products (includes 10 U.S.C. §456 barring civil actions for inaccurate maps and charts)
Chapter 883 - Prize Proceedings
Title 14 U.S.C. - Coast Guard
Title 28 U.S.C. - Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
28 U.S.C. §1292 - Interlocutory appeals in admiralty cases
28 U.S.C. §1333 - District court original jurisdiction over admiralty and maritime cases. (See also the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which include Rules 9(h) (pleading admiralty and maritime claims), 14(c) (admiralty third-party practice), 38(e) (admiralty claims and the right to a jury), 82 (admiralty claims re: jurisdiction and venue) and the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty or Maritime Claims and Asset Forfeiture Actions, Rules A-F.)
Chapter 97 - Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, including 28 U.S.C. §1605(b-d) concerning admiralty suits, maritime liens and vessel mortgages.
Title 33 U.S.C. - Navigation and Navigable Waters
Chapter 7 - Regulation for the Suppression of Piracy
Chapter 18 - Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act
Chapter 27 - Ocean Dumping
Chapter 28 - Pollution Casualties on the High Seas: United States Intervention
Chapter 30 - International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
Chapter 33 - Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Marpol 73/78)
Chapter 34 - Inland Navigational Rules
Chapter 40 - Oil Pollution (OPA 90)
Title 43 U.S.C. - Public Lands
Chapter 29 - Submerged Lands (Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act)
Chapter 39 - Abandoned Shipwrecks
Title 46 U.S.C. - Shipping
Subtitle II - Vessels and Seamen (Inspection and Regulation of Vessels, Load Lines, Marine Casualties, Merchant Seamen Licenses/Certificates/Documents, Manning of Vessels, Merchant Seamen Protection and Relief, Vessel Documentation and Identification, State Boating Safety Programs, Vessel Measurements)
Chapter 301 - General Liability Provisions, including the Admiralty Extension Act, 46 U.S.C. 30101, and the Jones Act, 46 U.S.C. 30104, for personal injury or death of a seaman.
Chapter 303 - Death on the High Seas Act
Chapter 305 - Exoneration and Limitation of Liability, including the Fire Statute, 46 U.S.C. 30522, and the Limitation of Liability Act, 46 U.S.C. 30523-25.
Chapter 307 - Liability of Water Carriers (Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (COGSA) and Harter Act)
Chapter 309 - Suits in Admiralty Against the United States (Suits in Admiralty Act)
Chapter 311 - Suits Involving Public Vessels (Public Vessels Act)
Chapter 313 - Commercial Instruments and Maritime Liens (Maritime Liens Act and Ship Mortgage Act)
Subtitle IV - Regulation of Ocean Shipping (Ocean Shipping Acts of 1984, 1998 and 2022.)
The annual and official version of the Code of Federal Regulations is here. The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR) is a continuously updated version. The following are titles and sections particularly relevant to admiralty and maritime law.
Title 29 C.F.R. - Labor
Chapter XVII - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), including sections concerning shipyard, marine terminal and longshoring safety.
Title 33 C.F.R. - Navigation and Navigable Waters
Chapter I - Coast Guard, including regulations concerning Aids to Navigation, International Navigation Rules, Inland Navigation Rules, Vessel Operating Regulations (SOLAS and ISM Code), Financial Responsibility for Water Pollution, Pollution Prevention Regulations, and Ports and Waterways Safety. (See also the Coast Guard Handbook: Navigation Rules: International-Inland.)
Chapter II - Corps of Engineers, including regulations concerning wreck removal and a definition of navigable waters of the United States
Title 46 C.F.R. - Shipping
Chapter 1 - Coast Guard, including regulations concerning merchant mariner requirements, vessel requirements and inspections, and the investigation of marine casualties.
Chapter II - Maritime Administration, including regulations concerning maritime carriers and subsidized vessel operators, a mandatory vessel position reporting system, hull and war risk insurance and merchant marine training.
Chapter IV - Federal Maritime Commission, including regulations concerning maritime carriers, NVOCCs, ocean freight forwarders, marine terminal operators, passenger vessels, tariffs and service contracts.
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